CHARGERS ANALYSIS: Bolts return to familiar spot

SAN DIEGO — The Chargers are back in survival mode. It's a
familiar position for this team, which is used to facing a series
of games deemed must wins because of their own doing.

Their 4-1 start was supposed to change that, allowing the
Chargers to make progress while maintaining their position as the
pace car in the AFC West. But their current three-game losing
streak has removed any cushion.

Now the Chargers sit at 4-4, in a three-way tie atop a dismal
division without any teams above .500. The Chargers will tell you
they're excited that Thursday's game against Oakland is for first
place in the West. Problem is, they were alone in first place.
They've squandered their division lead by failing to finish in a
string of winnable games.

"Regardless of what's happened thus far, good or bad, we can't
change it," quarterback Philip Rivers said. "We have an eight-game
season, and it starts on Thursday night. All four teams are alive,
and it should be interesting to see what happens."

That the Chargers aren't playing catch-up is proof that it's
often better to be lucky than good. Each division opponent has
struggled at times, creating parity of the worst kind. Divisional
control was there for the taking, and the Chargers didn't seize the
opportunity.

They struggled last season because of fumbles and special teams
woes. This year interceptions are the Achilles heel, preventing the
Chargers from owning a 6-2 record. The Oct. 23 game against the New
York Jets and the Oct. 31 game at Kansas City should have been
wins. Take away two interceptions returned for touchdowns on
Sunday, and the Chargers could have taken down the reigning Super
Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

After finding a way to win four early games, the Chargers have
blown opportunities to win in recent weeks. The team can be
maddening to root for and perplexing to cover because flashes of
excellent play never last.

The Chargers have a consistency problem that isn't getting
fixed. That's why their potential is so tough to assess.

"If we play the way we're capable, we're the best team in the
NFL," free safety Eric Weddle said. "People may not believe us, but
we can play with anybody. We have to put it all together. If we
don't, we'll keep ending up in a situation where it's a toss-up in
the fourth quarter or we don't have a chance."

Despite preseason predictions to the contrary, the Chargers are
not an elite team in their current form. They are .500, simply
average.

It would be a colossal disappointment if they finished that
way.

While it's clear that the Chargers aren't as deep as they were
in 2006 and 2007 because of a series of lackluster drafts, talent
remains. It isn't, however, getting any younger. If the team stays
healthy, there's no reason why it can't go on another second-half
tear that has been customary under coach Norv Turner.

"To say we're going to tighten up and focus now wouldn't be the
truth," Rivers said. "We treat each game the same. Historically, we
have played better in the second half of the season. But that
doesn't have anything to do with this team. Each team is unique,
and this group has played some good games, but hasn't put
everything together. We're all fighting a battle with inconsistency
and we can't seem to get it going. I have faith that we will."

It would be easy to point fingers and make blanket statements
about why the Chargers aren't winning. Injury woes or increased
responsibility on young players do not excuse the Chargers' recent
play, which is simply not good enough.

This isn't a call to fire Turner or skewer general manager A.J.
Smith or bench Rivers. Blame can only be assigned when something
has been squandered beyond repair. At the turning point, the
Chargers have accomplished nothing. The same could be said if they
were 8-0.

They have failed at one thing, and that's consistently playing
to their potential due to flaws in roster assembly, play-calling
and execution.

Elite franchises find a way to win football games when things
don't go right, and the Chargers aren't doing enough of that. This
divisional scrum was created by the Chargers' inconsistent play,
and will be decided by how they finish.

"We're tied for the division lead," Weddle said. "I think people
get tied up in the hoopla, but our only goal is to win the division
and see what happens in the playoffs. That's still attainable, and
that's all that truly matters."